Guarding the Future
by Koko-chan1
Summary: A hot spring resort is a great way to relax after leaving a really unpleasant world. But the conversation of some of the other guests isn't relaxing at all... Kurofai


**Guarding the Future**

**A/N: Written for the kurofai secret santa exchange on dreamwidth. Animangod asked for a story involving Kurogane's and Fai's parents. After four rewrites and several muses changing their minds about just who they wanted to be and how they wanted to act and even where the story was supposed to take place, I hope I managed to come out with something enjoyable. ^^;  
**

Fai decided he really liked this world. The level of technology was advanced enough to be nicely convenient, the weather was mild and pleasant, and best of all, Mokona had put him and the others in a country rich with natural hot springs. The inn they were currently staying at boasted an impressive complex of interlinked outdoor springs surrounded with artfully cultivated plant life and elegantly decorated sculptures that formed natural walls between pools for privacy. There were large pools where many people could soak and socialize, smaller pools for families to spend quality time together, and even a few tiny private pools where one or two people could keep company in a more intimate nature.

Fai had recently been to one of the last, though sadly not for the intended purpose. ("Kuro-sama is _such_ a prude! Having sex outside is healthy~!") It had been amazingly pleasant to just sit against the edge of the pool, back against hot stone and sunk up to the neck in water so warm that it was a wonder he hadn't just melted into a happy relaxed film over the surface, letting his mind wander random places while he watched the sun set and the stars come out one by one.

The last world had been horrible. It had been shadows and flames and the ruins of civilization brought on by war after war that ground both people and land to dust beneath the weight of hatred that had been sustained so long that it had become a habit. There had only been two cities left in the wasteland of what must have once been a country, and the first had been so zealous in the persecution of magic that Fai, Syaoran, and Mokona had been forced to remain completely in hiding to avoid the witch hunts while Kurogane went out alone to gather information, despite the fact that battles raged in the streets almost every day. The second city had been the exact opposite, and when they'd escaped there, it had been Kurogane who'd had to hide away because all the mages in that city believed that those without magic were no better than animals. They'd been in the practice of sterilizing and mind-wiping non-magical humans to act as slaves and livestock, and Fai had told his lover quite firmly that if _anyone_ tried to take him away, Fai would have to get...nasty. Neither Kurogane or Syaoran had wanted to see Fai get _nasty_. Though Mokona, possibly fed up with being shot at in one city and nearly dissected for magical study in the other, had suggested that might just be fun. Everyone had been glad to see that little blue earring start to glow, because it meant the ordeal was over.

Now, he was headed back to the room, wrapped snugly in a fluffy white robe and feeling highly satisfied with himself. He was warm and relaxed and happy, and was secure in the knowledge that Syaoran and Kurogane were both somewhere safe and nearby. There was no fear that they might be killed any moment, no hopeless wondering if he would see them again. And all of them were taking this wonderfully peaceful world as a chance to finally unwind.

Syaoran had found out that the proprietor of the inn, a handsomely attractive middle-aged woman who asked to be called Sayuri, had a passion for odd books on the arcane and had immediately ensconced himself in her library, and it was a very good bet that he'd have dinner there and not emerge until he'd devoured both he food and every single tome. Kurogane after (_so _heartlessly) turning down Fai's invitation to visit the private spring they'd reserved with their room with him, had gone out to practice with Ginryuu. By now, the ninja had likely finished with that and would be back in their room cleaning up. Fai fully intended to collect his growly lover, order room service, and then thoroughly ravish him on that nice big bed. Or be ravished. Mutual ravishment? Yes, that sounded nice...

The blonde was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he turned the corner in the hall without looking and ended up bumping into something large and warm and solid that gave an irritated grunt on impact.

Fai blinked, surprised by the sudden roadblock, but grinned when he looked up to find that the unexpected wall had a pair of very familiar red eyes. "Kuro-pon!" he caroled, wrapping his arms around the taller man's shoulders, "Were you waiting for me? It's sweet of you to want to sweep me off my feet and carry me over the threshold, but truly, I'd be just as happy to play with you inside the room!"

Kurogane growled but allowed the embrace, and the fact that such an open display of affection was not rebuffed warmed Fai inside even more than the hot springs had. He purred softly as he felt one strong arm curl lightly around his middle. "Idiot." Kurogane grumbled, but without any bite to the insult. "You and the kid have the only two room keys. The pork bun ate mine."

"Leaving you stranded out in the cold," Fai chuckled, freeing one arm to dig into the pocket of his robe. "Well, we can't have that. Let me just unlock the door, and—huh."

The pocket was empty. The key must have fallen out somewhere between here and the springs. Drat.

"How about we take a little walk, Kuro-sama? I've heard the garden paths through the springs are lovely at night."

Kurogane rolled his eyes and pulled away, earning himself a slight pout from the blonde. "You lost the key, didn't you?"

"Maaaaaybe. Or maybe I just want to take my adorable Kuro-puppy out for his walkies!"

"What?!"

Fai's face broke into a bright grin as his lover's eyes narrowed in anger. He supposed there might be something wrong with the fact that pissing the ninja off was still one of his absolute most favorite pasttimes, especially when the man had a sword buckled to his waist, but at the moment he didn't care. "Now now, no barking! Follow me out into the garden, Kuro-doggy. Here, puppy puppy puppy!"

"You damn bastard! Get back here!" Kurogane roared, lunging for the mage. Fai let out a whoop of glee and dashed back the way he'd come, through the halls and out into the warm night air, laughing in delight as he heard the heavy footfalls of the other man close behind on the stone path.

It took a little while for them to reach the private spring Fai had been using earlier, since the route taken was more than a little bit indirect. Three times around the public springs, in through changing house #1 and back out through changing house #5, _underneath_ the little outbuilding housing the steam bath (Fai resolved to try that while he was here, he hadn't had a good steam bath since leaving Celes), and then through the ornamental hedge maze that made the private springs private.

It felt so _good_ to finally let off steam, to drop all that tension from the last world, and know it was safe to play like this. Though Kurogane would never admit to this being play, since that would force him to admit he was having fun in ways that didn't involve grand battles and scaring the general populace. Fai was enjoying himself so much, in fact, that he forgot to look where he was going and completely missed the rake lying across the path, left by some careless gardener. He saw it too late to avoid it, letting out a yelp as the handle caught his feet and sent him toppling towards the uneven flagstones of the pathway.

Kurogane muttered a blistering curse as he saw the blonde fall, diving towards him and using his weight to knock them to the side, onto soft lawn instead of sharp rock, pulling Fai firmly into his arms as the momentum sent them both rolling several feet, finally ending with a crash into the thick shrubbery walls of the maze, resulting with Kurogane flat on his back and wedged between two big leafy bushes with Fai sprawled on top of him, both of them slightly dazed from the impact.

"Ouch..." Fai whined as he lifted his head slightly from the ninja's chest, then blinked down at Kurogane, taking in the full reality of their current position, and had the grace to look slightly abashed. "Sorry, Kuro-sama. Are you all right?"

"_Idiot_." Kurogane reached up to rap his knuckles lightly on the top of Fai's head. "Pay more attention next time! You're even more irritating than usual when injured!" The words were delivered in a sharp growl, but the way the ninja's fist uncurled to slide gentle fingers into blonde hair betrayed the concern behind it.

Fai couldn't help but smile and lean into the warm palm, especially when he felt the cooler touch of the mechanical arm wrap around his waist as it had back in the inn. "My hero," he murmured, the words holding a million worlds' worth of meanings, and leaned down to brush a soft kiss against Kurogane's lips.

Kurogane couldn't help the slight smirk that curved his lips as he raised his head to join the kiss, enjoying this unexpected moment of sweetness, even if the setting was ridiculous. "I'm no damn hero," he grumbled as he pulled away, "I'm a pissed off and exhausted warrior who just wants dinner and a goddamn shower. Get off me so we can get out of here and find the fucking key already."

"Mmm...I dunno, you don't look all that pissed off, and I find this surprisingly comfy. I'm not sure I want to get up yet," Fai trilled, a devilish look coming to sapphire eyes as his hands slid tantalizingly up Kurogane's sides.

Kurogane, unfortunately, was scratched up and covered in dirt and leaves and tired and _hungry_ and not quite in the mood to be tantalized yet, even if Fai really was damn sexy wearing nothing but a fluffy white robe and his hair tousled from the fall and all those shadows of worry and tension finally gone from his gaze...no! Food and a shower first, _then _pin the blonde down and make him scream in all the good ways! "Mage, Get _off_!"

"Oh believe me, I intend to!" The tone in Fai's voice, teasing and sultry at the same time, made many delightful and unspeakable promises, and Kurogane felt himself blushing. Fai had an unholy talent for that, damn him.

"_Mage_..." Kurogane growled, only to be cut off.

"...and with the Starfall Festival coming, we've all been going insane with preparations. You know how Yuuko-sama is about everything at the temple being absolutely correct to honor the spirits."

It was a woman's voice, coming far too close. That and the mention of a name that neither of them cared to invoke without reason, even if the one they knew had slipped away into the afterlife, made both men freeze where they were, looking up to peer out of the bushes they were hidden by.

It turned out they were stuck in one of the hedge walls that surrounded a private spring, and Fai watched as two young women somewhere in their twenties walked through the entrance. They were laughing softly together as they walked, and the ease of their posture and words suggested that they were old and close friends.

One of them, an elegant creature with a natural air of refinement, quickly removed her robe and slipped into the steaming pool, letting out a sigh of contentment. Her night-black hair was tied back in a simple bun, and her skin was pale as milk under the light of the lamps, though the hot water was beginning to cause an artful flush that spread like pink watercolor on rice paper. Her only adornment was her gentle smile and equally gentle gleam in doe-brown eyes, the shape of which struck Fai as oddly familiar, though he couldn't place where. Though he tried not to think about it...or any part of her, really, respectfully averting his eyes. Kurogane seemed to have gone completely and utterly still underneath him, probably from a wish not to get caught and accused of peeping at naked women. Fai could respect that...even if it would make great teasing fodder later.

He looked to the other woman...and his world froze.

Whatever expression was on his face must have been impressive, because it caused Kurogane to glance up at him in mild concern. "Mage?" he whispered. "What is it?"

"Mother..."

Surprise flashed in crimson eyes, and then the ninja looked back through the bushes, even more still and focused than before. Fai couldn't help but do the same.

Fai didn't really remember much about his mother. Back years and years ago, when he had still been Yuui and the real Fai had been so warm and alive at his side, his mother had taken her own life when they were barely out of infancy. Fai remembered what she looked like, and the way the bangles on her favorite bracelet would chime as she moved. He remembered that she had never ever smiled in their presence. When he had fashioned Chii from one of Sakura's feathers to guard the true Fai in his coffin, the physical appearance had been the only thing that Fai had used their mother as a model for. Chii's sweet nature had been all her own, influenced by Sakura's own natural kindness and perhaps Fai's wish of a gentle companion for his twin. Even so, Chii had been a very simple creature, in many ways as fragile as a spiderweb or a soap bubble.

That was why, when he saw the lovely young blonde woman sitting on the edge of the spring, feet soaking in the hot water (and thankfully still clothed in her robe), Fai knew immediately who the girl was. The shock of it struck him into stillness, unable to move, barely able to breathe, just _staring_.

She was both like and utterly unlike what he remembered.. Her long hair gleamed like minted gold in the lamplight, running down her back in soft waves. Her skin was a rosy pink that was starting to flush darker in her cheeks from the heat of the steaming water, and her eyes were a shade of pale sapphire that Fai saw every time he looked in a mirror. She was slender and petite and doll-like, with fine-boned hands and a sweet face. That much, Fai recognized clearly.

But what was new to his sight was the bright grin on her face, and the glitter of laughter in her eyes. This girl who was his mother but not his mother, the same but not the same, different lives but the _same soul_, looked healthy and happy and _alive_, and a sharp jab of _longing_ tore through the mage's heart, leaving him shaking.

He wondered if she was even now waiting for his father, and found himself crouching deeper into the bushes, unconsciously clinging to Kurogane as an anchor, afire with morbid curiosity. Fai had never met his father; the man had died of illness shortly after he and his twin had been born, and he had never been shown so much as a painting of the man. If the true Fai ever had, he had not said anything of it to Yuui. All either of them had been allowed to know was that the Crown Prince had died, and that it had been their fault, _all their fault_, just for being twins.

Fai swallowed hard as he realized this might be his one and only chance to ever see both of his parents alive, to have a glimpse into what sort of people they were before the birth of him and his brother had ruined an entire world. He might finally see the happy couple that his parents might have been before everything fell apart...

The girl grinned at her dark-haired friend, totally unaware of the silent meltdown occurring in the bushes nearby. "That's what you get for being a shrine maiden, Ami. You end up seriously busy during holidays, and then you leave me _all alone_ to face this cold cold world on my lonesome." She pouted outrageously then, in a way that probably would have caused Kurogane to make some sort of comment if they hadn't both been in danger of discovery. And now Fai knew who he'd inherited _ that_ from, at least.

Ami just rolled her eyes, obviously quite used to such things from her friend, meeting it with rueful cheer and a shrug. "You know how it gets right before the Starfall Festival, Chiaki. Every inch of the shrine has to be cleaned and purified, and then the temple has to be cleaned and purified, and then the _path_ to the temple has to be swept and purified...to be honest, I half expect Yuuko-sama to suggest we start bathing and blessing the wildlife next! I'll be praying over an extremely soapy and upset badger before the week is out."

Chiaki pouted a little more, but then sighed and gave in. "Oh, _fine. _But I'm only forgiving you because the only people to ever escape that scary devil woman are those protected by Divine Providence and liquor vendors."

Fai had to stifle a laugh. Unflattering as that was towards any incarnation of the woman who had been the late Dimension Witch, it was probably true.

Ami chuckled softly. "Yuuko-sama means well, and no one is more powerful than she is at divination. She's just...eccentric."

"True enough. It actually ties in to what I wanted to tell you tonight," the blonde murmured, absently curling a lock of her long blonde hair around her finger.

Ami cocked her head curiously. "Yes, do tell. I am always happy to come talk, especially since your mother is kind enough to let us use one of her private springs while we do, but you sounded a little tense over the phone."

"Well..." Chiaki murmured, then blurted out, "I got married!"

Fai jerked, the words like a blow, but Ami only chuckled and shook her head, flicking a few moon-pale fingers in the water to lightly splash her friend.

"That's old news! You and Edmund got married more than a year ago, and I'll have you know I'm still a little put out that you eloped like that. We promised when we were little girls that we'd be each others' matrons of honor! And aren't you going to come in? The water feels amazing as always."

Chiaki giggled, but shook her head. "I can't. Edmund may be under orders to soak himself like a crab in a pot for his own recovery, but both Mother and the doctor say I shouldn't risk it. Getting my feet wet is the most I'm going to get for several months."

Ami blinked, and her eyes widened. "You talk like you're..."

"Pregnant," Chiaki agreed, "I guess Edmund and I have been having a little too much fun with each other." The young woman blushed a bright pink as she said it, but her smile was that of a naughty child.

There was a pause, and then Ami gave a squeal quite unlike her elegant and serene appearance, surging up out of the spring to wrap her friend in an excited hug without any concern to the fact that she was clothed only in water and steam.

Both men stuck in the bushes promptly shut their eyes tight, and Fai could have sworn he heard Kurogane muttering something like, "...could've lived my life _just fine_ without seeing that much of her, fuck it all..."

Fai felt...uncomfortable. He had never really understood until this moment why some teenagers cringed when their parents were affectionate with each other, but he was beginning to figure it out. For all that the blonde woman wasn't really his own mother, Fai found himself really not wanting to know about what that smile suggested. That and mention of pregnancy made the mage wonder if now wasn't a good time to slip away. But he couldn't make himself move, trapped by a sick fascination with how this discussion was unfolding.

"That's _wonderful_, Chiaki! When did you find out? How far along are you?"

"Ami, please! Aren't you the one that always chides me about proper decorum?" the blonde laughed.

"No, that's your mother. I'm just the one that Sayuri-san uses as an example. Now tell me!"

"Aaaah! Stop shaking me, you're making my robe come undone! Help! Help! Lesbian attack!" Chiaki cried in mock-horror.

Fai squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, that feeling of discomfort just getting stronger. He really, _really_ didn't need to know about what his mother might have gotten up to. He was pretty sure that he was blushing for the first time in years. And it really didn't help when a man's voice joined the chaos.

"Wait! Don't do that yet! Let me get a camera first!"

Fai's heart nearly stopped. Surely that couldn't be...

"Edmund!" Chiaki squealed, confirming Fai's suspicions. And now the blonde couldn't help but open his eyes, needing to _see_. Because the man that even now walked into the enclosure stand behind Chiaki, laughingly kneeling down to wrap his arms around his wife's shoulders and rescue her from her friend's enthusiastic tussling, was his father.

And yet...it didn't reassure Fai at all to see him. Though the affection in his eyes when he looked at Chiaki was very real, there were signs of looming disaster that Fai had already lived through once. Fai had inherited his height from this man, and the long-limbed leanness of his body. But Edmund was a sculpture of ice beyond what the mage had ever seen in a living being, with skin nearly white as paper and so thin as to be only half a breath from skeletal. His hair was so pale a blonde as to shine nearly white, and his eyes were the pale grey of the skies in winter. There was intelligence in those eyes, and gentleness, but he lacked the sheer vitality of his golden wife. He looked _brittle_. Fai couldn't help but think that he resembled the _grighunds_ of Celes, long and skinny and slightly inbred. At the moment, Edmund was wearing only a towel tied around his hips, his hair and skin slightly damp as if he had just come from bathing himself, carrying his robe in one sticklike arm.

Fai was no healer, but from that first moment of seeing his father, no matter that this was a different world and a different life, he knew that this was not a well man. Even if he wasn't sick now, he would be soon, and from the looks of things, it was a common occurrence. The thought made him feel ill.

_No, no, please...don't let it happen again. Not again..._

"Now Miss Ami," the man called Edmund chided the brunette as he waggled one finger in her face, seeming totally unaffected by the fact that she was completely naked, "You're just this enthusiastic because you and Keiichi are getting married next fall and you're sentimental enough to like the idea of our kids being best friends like you and Chiaki."

"Perhaps," Ami replied primly. "I'm allowed to be excited over good news. And if your darling wife doesn't answer my questions soon, I'm going to hug her again without mercy."

"Is she still naked?" Kurogane whispered, eyes tightly shut. How he'd known Fai was watching, the mage would never guess. He struggled to find his voice.

"I'm afraid so, Kuro-sama."

"This is insane..."

Fai let out a weak chuckle, but kept most of his attention on the three people in the spring.

Edmund was grinning brightly, a surprisingly boyish expression for his sharply boned face. "While I don't mind if you hug Chiaki until her cute little tongue pops out—"

"Pervert," Chiaki accused.

"Guilty as charged, dearest. But before you do that, Ami, please consider either getting back in the water or putting on a towel. You're a lovely lady, but your fiance might get a little upset over the fact that I'm getting happy homemade porn and he isn't."

"You know, no one would believe that you're related to foreign royalty when you talk like that," Ami sighed, but graciously slid back down into the hot water.

Fai felt Kurogane relax under him at the sound of moving liquid, and he quickly tapped on the ninja's shoulder to wordlessly let him know it was safe to open his eyes.

"Of course they would," Edmund said with perfect candor, "You don't get this fabulous set of inbred traits without a family history of marrying your cousins. I don't have a family tree so much as a kudzu vine, I resemble someone's nervy and brainless thoroughbred with the health to match, and I'm only saved from being a redneck because my ancestors thought living in a big damp drafty castle was a good idea. Have I mentioned that most of the royalty in my mother country is somewhat insane?"

Ami chuckled. "Well, if one goes by the stories Keiichi has told me about you two at University..."

"Some of it might even be true," Edmund agreed with a sigh.

"Well, he did tell me that you first met Chiaki in a bar and that you were so drunk at the time that the first thing you said to her that she didn't look like a camel and you wanted her pants."

Chiaki broke out into uncontrollable giggles as Edmund winced. "It's true," she said, "And it was only the fact that he looked like one good wind could bust him apart that kept me from punching him right there. Keiichi declared that he obviously couldn't take him anywhere."

"In my defense, they were very nice pants." Edmund sighed. "But I really wasn't talking about them, anyway. You were blonde and beautiful and glowed with robust heathy attitude. Health that I obviously don't have. I really wanted into your pants so I could steal your designer genes."

There was a moment of horrified silence, and then both of the women groaned.

"That's _awful_," Ami complained.

"Moderately, yes," Edmund agreed, but he was grinning again.

"You sick bastard. Why did I marry you again?" Chiaki whined.

"Because you love me!"

In the bushes, Kurogane gave Fai a pointed look and the smallest of smirks. "Reminds me of a certain guy I know." he muttered. "Now I know where you got your weirder quirks from."

Fai pinched his side in response.

Chiaki huffed. "Speaking of your health, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be soaking in that special pool that Yuuko blessed for you! We're _trying_ to make you better, remember?" She shot her husband a mild glare from the corner of her eye.

"Lady Yuuko also told me that many of Madam Sayuri's springs are just as pure as that one." Edmund pointed out calmly. "Besides, the conversation is better here. I got very tired of trying to talk to the stone fuu dogs. All they do is sit there and glare at me."

"Oh, for...get in the water before you catch a cold," the blonde woman ordered, gently but firmly removing herself from Edmund's embrace and pushing him towards the spring, not letting up until he was submerged up to his chin. "Honestly! Mother was _supposed_ to be keeping an eye on you. And it's not like you were alone there. Wasn't Keiichi with you?"

Ami nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, where _is_ Keiichi?"

Edmund shrugged. "Madam Sayuri happens to understand that I relax best around you. That, and she likes me, so she had no trouble with me coming to see you. Keiichi, on the other hand, is still in her clutches, suffering a lecture about proper behavior before marriage."

Ami stifled a laugh. "Oh dear. I expect he'll be tied up for a while, then."

Edmund shrugged cheerfully. "Oh, I don't know. She might let him off easy, especially since they have an audience. There was a young man with Sayuri when she caught us coming to visit you, and last I saw of them, Keiichi was looking like a little boy who had been caught stealing cookies while Sayuri's young guest just stared. I guess he's never seen Sayuri give a lecture before. But I'm sure that Keiichi will be along as quick as he can. As it is, he's going to be sad that he missed your reaction to Chiaki's happy news. Unless, of course, you want to continue your lesbian attack when he arrives."

Ami raised an eyebrow, but shook her head with a smile. "No, I think I can control myself. But please, do tell me more about this."

Chiaki smiled, reaching out to absently play with her husband's hair, "We've only known for sure since last week. I visited the shrine to deliver Mother's usual offering and prayers for prosperity, and Yuuko-san was waiting at the entrance. She congratulated me on my marriage, which was weird because she'd never done that before and she probably knew I'd eloped even before you did. And then she said that Edmund and I were sure to have beautiful children. And when Priestess Ichihara talks like that...well. The doctor confirmed it, but I was already pretty sure. He says I'm roughly three weeks pregnant." Chiaki had raised an arch little eyebrow at her friend. "Remember this, Ami, for after your wedding night. Yuuko can tell you more reliably about a pregnancy than a piss-stick. Faster, too."

"Language," Ami and Edmund both murmured in perfect stereo.

Once again, Fai found this whole situation very, very weird. For one thing, it was very hard to imagine the mother in his memories saying something like 'piss-stick'. She'd always seemed so mild-mannered and timid. Really, it was amazing the difference that a different upbringing and life could bring.

"Mother's thrilled, of course," Chiaki continued, blithely unaware of the trauma she was putting a man who was but wasn't her son through, "She's already talking about baby furniture and spoiling her grandchildren and has been bragging to Aunt Freya nonstop over the phone, who of course has been spreading the news to all the rest of the family. I suspect this next few months will see a vast influx of relatives. All in perfect dignity, of course."

"Of course," Ami agreed. "What about Edmund's side of the family?"

At the mention of her husband's relatives, the couples' smiles dimmed significantly. "Well..." Chiaki mumbled, and actually squirmed a little like a small child caught in a lie. "Edmund's parents passed away when he was really little, Ami. There's not really all that many people to tell."

Ami's smile faded when Chiaki's did, replaced by worry. "I can think of at least one, Chiaki. Is there a problem?"

Chiaki and Edmund shared a worried look before the young woman continued. "Well...I'm not sure how much of it is right for me to tell," the blonde admitted. "It's...really personal to Edmund and I don't know how he feels about talking about it."

"Chiaki..." Ami murmured, but seemed unwilling to push. There was a moment of awkward silence between the two.

"It's all right," Edmund finally said, catching one of Chiaki's hands in his and brushing gentle lips over the palm. "Though I thank you for trying to protect my family's reputation, Chiaki, I've known Ami and her betrothed long enough to know that they're good and trustworthy people. And you always told me that you could rely on them for anything."

Chiaki let out a long, soft sigh, but nodded. "If you're okay with it, then I am." she murmured.

Edmund nodded reassuringly before turning back to Ami. "There is, in fact, a small problem. It happens to be my older brother."

Ami blinked, and looked confused. "Ashura?"

Fai gave a jolt as if he'd been struck, and trembled even as Kurogane rested his hands on the wizard's back, trying to soothe him. But what Edmund said next just sent everything more off kilter.

"No, not Ashura. He's my adopted brother, and will probably be perfectly happy to know he's going to be an uncle. I have another brother related to me by blood back in Norourlondin." Edmund sighed. "Siegfried never really approved of me leaving to study here in Yamato, and was even less happy when I married Chiaki."

"Which was the reason we eloped in the first place," Chiaki added, "Just so he couldn't throw a fit until it was too late."

"Oh? Does Siegfried have any way he could have stopped it?" Ami asked.

Edmund lifted a hand from the water and turned it in a 'so-so' motion. "Sort of. He's head of the family, so technically he has a say in what his rash and frail little brother may and may not do. Though this little brother is perfectly capable of telling him to stuff it. Mostly it's just that I didn't want him bringing his entire congregation overseas to sit like a pack of vultures at a wedding, ruining a happy occasion."

"Congregation?" Ami asked, "Is he a priest like Yuuko-sama?"

Chiaki gave a rather unfeminine snort. "He's a priest, but he's _nothing _like Yuuko. Siegfried is head and founder of a small religious order...well, closer to a cult, really. He calls it the Order of Valeria. He tried to guilt me into converting to it when Edmund finally told him about our marriage, but I wasn't having any of it. Divine retribution on the world, punish the sinners, only the select few faithful rewarded, grand prophecies and dire consequences...the basic fire and brimstone thing."

"He wasn't always like that," Edmund sighed sadly, "When we were younger, he was much more moderate. But starting that Order changed him somehow. He started claiming to hear voices. Mental instability does run in our family, but as the younger brother, I can't do anything about it, especially since he's convinced he's receiving edicts from some higher being. I wouldn't even have told him about the pregnancy, but well...he's still my brother, and this is family. Problem is, he reacted..._oddly_...to the news."

"What do you mean?"

Edmund grimaced. "He's been changing the doctrine of the Order, claiming that Chiaki and I will bring a Chosen One into the world. It doesn't matter if that Chosen One is male or female, only that it will supposedly possess the power of the Gods and elevate the Order to its rightful rulership and smite all the unbelievers. The fact that Siegfried actually used the word 'smite' when talking to me on the phone about it just makes it stranger." He made a face of mild disgust. "I told him I didn't like that he was making plans for _my_ child, and he told me I had no right to disrespect the word of God. I also pointed out that there hasn't been mageblood in our family for hundreds of years, and never any in Chiaki's family, and his answer to that was that the Divine Lord worked in mysterious ways. Then I reminded him, in my most polite and serious voice, that Chiaki already hated his guts and would be extremely annoyed if he tried to take her child. Siegfried told me that women should be submissive and tractable, and I obviously wasn't disciplining her properly. I hung up at that point."

Ami pursed her lips in disapproval. "I get the feeling you won't be visiting very often after the child is born. It wouldn't be healthy for anyone."

"It gets worse," Chiaki murmured. "Part of the doctrine for the Order of Valeria is...well, they don't like twins. They say that twins are evil, an ill omen of misfortune and a living symbol of the world splitting apart in discord. Siegfried says he's going to be watching us very closely to be sure that no such thing happens with us. So he's going to be moving here, to Yamato, to be closer to the 'Chosen One'. And he's bringing his entire congregation with him."

Ami blinked, and then her dark eyes widened in understanding. "You...twins run in your family. Your grandmother was a twin, and so is your mother."

Chiaki nodded sadly. "I was, too, though my sister died at birth. She would've been named after Aunt Freya. And Ami...Yuuko said Edmund and I would have beautiful _children_. She could just be talking about me having more than one over the period of our lives, but..."

"But Yuuko-sama doesn't bother to say things like that without good reason," Ami finished, expression grave. "You think you might be carrying twins."

"Not think, _know_." the blonde sighed, pressing a light hand to her belly. "And I'm very worried about what that madman might do. There's so much that could go wrong."

Those words seemed to lay a pall over the enclosure, all three of them going silent. Chiaki and Edmund looking sad and worried, and Ami grave and thoughtful.

Fai couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. All he could conceive was how this all was likely to end, _oh yes_, and shadowy images of towers and pits and still bodies haunted his mind. He needed to leave, needed to run, needed to get on his knees and beg these people for forgiveness for the pain he was going to cause them all in only a few months' time.

He shifted, unsure even as he prepared to move what exactly he was going to do, whether it was to flee or to go to the two bright _happy_ people and warn them to...he didn't know. To watch over his father's fragile health? To beware of the man who was so obviously the man Fai had known only as the Sovereign? To never have him and his twin at all?

Kurogane's hands suddenly clamped hard around his arms, pulling the mage down against his broad chest and pinning them there. "Wait." he ordered, and Fai couldn't believe how calm he sounded. He'd seen Fai's past, he had to know that all the fragments of tragedy were lining up again here, though on a smaller scale.

"Kuro-sama, I have to..." he protested, squirming against that iron hold. "It's all going to happen again, I'm going to _ruin_ them if I don't..."

"_Wait._"

"_Kurogane!_" Fai hissed, burying his face in his lover's throat as he trembled above him. "How can you ask me to let their lives be destroyed if I can stop it?!"

The utterance of his full name caused Kurogane's hands to tighten around the wizard's arms for just a moment, but he didn't give in. Instead, he loosened his grip only to wrap his arms fully around Fai's thin frame. "Wait," he said again, voice soft but with a core of iron. "Calm down, idiot. Panicking won't solve anything, and this isn't going to end like you think it will."

"How can you be so sure? Those are my parents, and Mother's already pregnant with myself and Fai! How can you possibly say this can't end in disaster?" the blonde whispered, feeling irrationally angry.

Kurogane just shook his head. "Someone else is coming. You'll understand, then." He shifted his hold again, hands moving to cup Fai's face between them and meeting burning ice blue eyes with his own intense crimson. "Wait, and trust me."

Fai would have argued. He was opening his mouth to do just that, one hand fisting in the thin fabric of Kurogane's shirt, but then he heard the heavy footsteps coming up the path, much closer than they should have been. The wizard had been too wound up to notice what Kurogane had already sensed. Damn ninja. Fai looked up as the source of those footsteps passed through the gateway to the spring, wondering how adding yet another person to this gathering was supposed to help anything...and yet again, was struck absolutely dumb.

Entering the enclosure was...Kurogane?

"Hey, everyone. Fun fact: Sayuri-san can only scold me for twenty minutes before she starts repeating herself. Anyway, she says that dinner's going to be ready in about ten minutes if you wanted to eat with the other guests, and...wow, it looks like a funeral in here."

Fai watched, jaw dropped in shock as a near mirror image of his lover, made different only by the longer hair tied back in a tail and a tattoo of a dragon on his right arm, walked over to kneel down on the edge of the hot spring next to Ami, giving Fai's parents a quick wave as he bent down to murmur something in the brunette's ear, earning a small smile from her in return, though it was distracted and fleeting. And for just a moment, with Fai already caught up in guilt that he'd honestly thought he'd finally settled and put away, the mage wondered if he'd possibly stolen a happy future from the Ami of Nihon by falling in love with the man pinned underneath him. He'd seen no one like her when they'd been in Nihon, but events at the time had gone so fast, spiraled so far out of control, that there really hadn't been time to learn much about the world that Kurogane called home or the people he had known there. A glance down made his heart nearly stop.

Kurogane was watching the pair, and the soft look of sheer _yearning_ in his eyes made Fai quake inside.

"Kuro-sama...did I...is she...were you..." he stuttered, wanting to ask a million things, but at the same time not wanting to ask at all. Because even if he had stolen Kurogane away from someone he was destined for, Kurogane was still _his_, only his, and he would never give the ninja up for anything.

_How many people will I hurt with my selfish existence?_

Kurogane looked back up at him, and must have somehow read Fai's thoughts from his expression, because he scowled, mild irritation replacing the longing. "I know what you're thinking," he growled, "And you're an _idiot_. That's not me."

"What? But..."

"That's my father."

"Your...then the lady next to him is—"

"My mother." the ninja affirmed.

Fai turned to stare at the four in the spring again, his mind spinning. His parents, just newly expecting, and Kurogane's parents, not yet wed but would be soon. Together in one place, at one time. Fai felt like the world was turning on its side, leaving him disoriented and slightly lost. "...oh."

"So I take it you told her your concerns?" Kurogane's father, the man that had to have been the Keiichi that everyone had been talking about, asked softly. He didn't seem to mind that Ami was still staring into the water, a tiny thoughtful frown on her face.

"Yes. But we seem to have troubled her greatly." Edmund replied.

"Nah, this is just her problem-solving face. Wait a few seconds."

"I think," Ami suddenly said, her words slow and clear, breaking the silence that had enveloped the humid air around the spring, "I will start a daycare center."

Keiichi grinned, and that settled it for Fai.. Kurogane, no matter what the situation, would never give such a cheerful boyish smile as that. On the rare occasions that he did smile, they were either wolfish grins that were all sharp edges and danger, or small gentle things that softened his whole face and only appeared in the most private and intimate of settings.

Chiaki and Edmund, however, just looked confused. "As lovely an idea as that is," Edmund said, "I fail to see what it has to do with the issue of my brother."

"She's solving the problem," Keiichi replied cheerfully in a voice so like yet unlike Kurogane's that Fai couldn't help but smile. "Like I told you she would if you talked to her."

Ami slowly smiled, her dark eyes lighting up as plans came together in her mind. "Yuuko-sama wants me to take over a large section of property that has come into her hands; a gigantic three-story house and a smaller building next to it, though I couldn't understand why. All she said was that I would fit best there. I originally wasn't sure what I could do with something like that, since the space is far more than Keiichi and I would ever need, even after we start a family. But in light of this, I believe I will take it. I was planning to retire from being a Miko after the wedding anyway," she explained, "And I like children. If I have a place where many children go to learn and be safe, then there will be many people to help protect them. I may not have power to the extent that Yuuko-sama or Clow-sama do, but I _can_ make a magical barrier to keep out those that mean harm, and can give basic lessons to children on how to do that as well. And Keiichi wanted to open a dojo of his own, so he can outfit the smaller building over the next year or so. He will teach people to protect others and themselves."

Edmund blinked his grey eyes, and then they lit up in understanding. "So that our children have a safe place to go."

Keiichi shook his head. "So that _all_ of you have a safe place to _be_. I think it would work best if you two moved in with us. We'll renovate the lower floors for the daycare and use the upper floors for apartments so that we can all stay close and help each other. Especially since we need you to be well enough to be a proper father to your twins."

Chiaki nodded slowly, her smile beginning to return as she nudged her husband gently with her leg. "That sounds like a really good idea, actually. And maybe you could also talk to Ashura, and ask him to come here. We can't stop Siegfried from coming to view the birth, but we can make sure your other brother is there to head him off."

"Ashura always liked me better, anyway, and he has all the mageblood that my bloodline doesn't," Edmund agreed softly, before giving his friends a questioning look. "You would really do this for us?"

"Of course," Keiichi replied with a shrug. "You're our best friends. Friends protect each other. It'll be fun. And," he added, "if worst comes to worst, you guys can hide out somewhere in our home or in the temple and I'll just use the Meathead Jock routine to throw him off the trail." His expression shifted to one of near-brainless sincerity. "What, the Flourites? No sir! Heard they'd gone out of country or something, a-yup yup. Not here anymore. Maybe you should check that interwebz doohickey that everybody talks about."

Edmund stifled a chuckle. "Kei, how _do_ you manage to look and act like someone's hit you too many times with the wooden sword?"

"That? I foolishly dated Chiaki there for two months in high school before she ditched me. I _was_ hit too many times with the wooden sword! How you could marry such a violent woman is beyond me."

The blonde man grinned. "But I love the violence!"

Chiaki lightly kicked him. Edmund responded by deftly catching her dainty little foot and pressing a kiss to her ankle.

"Hey, now! Not fair being mushy in public when I still get swatted by Sayuri-san if I so much as touch Ami's hair!" Keiichi protested.

"That's what you get for being a meathead and waiting so long to propose to Ami in the first place." Chiaki shot back. "Now, didn't you say something about dinner? I suggest we all go eat with Mother and talk about this more. If we want Ami's idea to become reality, there's lots to consider, and so many people to talk to. Not to mention finding a good contractor to renovate those buildings."

"Yuuko-sama probably has contacts for that," Ami pointed out, though she took the robe that Keiichi graciously handed to her and slipped out of the water.

"Yuuko has contacts for _everything_," Edmund replied, also allowing Chiaki to help him out of the spring and get him wrapped in his robe.

They left, still talking about various people to contact, supplies needed for a daycare, and what the hostess might be serving for dinner, unknowingly leaving behind the two men in the bushes, sitting in awkward silence. Only after the four were well out of earshot did Fai finally move, pulling himself free of the bushes they'd been stuck in for so long and allowing Kurogane to get up as well. And while he set himself ostensibly to pulling various twigs and leaves out of his robe, his eyes kept flickering back to the path, anxiety heavy in that gaze.

Kurogane reached over and rapped his fist on the top of Fai's head. He'd been with the wizard long enough to understand what was going through his head, to see the signs of old guilt and grief. And he knew they needed to address it now, for Fai's peace of mind. "Don't even think it, Mage. They're all intelligent adults that don't need a half hysterical stranger butting in to their problems."

Fai flinched, more from the words than the blow, and shook his head. "You always know me too well," he sighed, but didn't try to pull away. "I can't help it, Kuro-sama. What else am I supposed to do but worry? I feel like doing nothing would be as if I just stood back and watched my birth destroy everything. They may be happy and confident now, but the arrival of myself and Fai could change everything. It certainly did in my world."

The ninja shook his head. "The world is destroyed and remade every second of the day. And births always bring change. All because people make their own choices. I figured out that much from this journey." Kurogane replied, his hand gentling to run strong fingers through Fai's hair, easing some of the tangles out. "The people of your world made the choice to believe you and your brother were the cause of their problems, so that they wouldn't have to admit something was wrong with their ruler or accept that shit happens. If there'd been any real connection between two kids and ill fortune, someone would have put an end to you instead of locking the two of you up to be an easy answer to hard questions."

"They didn't kill us because we had magic. Magic was considered a gift from the Gods, especially strong magic. They were afraid that they'd call down even more bad luck if they did." Fai protested, but found himself relaxing, just a little, into Kurogane's touch.

The ninja gave a derisive snort. "Which just tells me that the people of your world were even bigger idiots. If you and your twin were really cursed evil beings, why the hell would your Gods grant you that sort of blessing? No. You and your brother were politically convenient. And that's what's happening here, though on a much smaller scale. The uncle sees his brother's unborn child or children as a tool to consolidate power and justify his own mad whims. A single child, he can put on a pedestal and make a puppet ruler from so that he can run things from the shadows. Twins, he can use as scapegoats. Either way, he galvanizes the people under him to do what he wants."

Fai stared at his companion in surprise, his eyes widening with each word. "You've...really put some thought into this. Have you been working this out ever since you saw my past back in Celes?"

"On and off. My father was a small provincial lord, and I spent my teenage years serving at the Imperial Court in Shirasagi. I hate politics, but that doesn't mean I don't understand it and recognize the underhanded way the game can be played. Either way, it won't turn out like it did for you. Not this time, not this world."

The blonde shook his head. "How can you be so sure? All the elements are there to repeat history, even if it isn't the history of this world. The crazed ruler, a sickly prince, the mother who bears unlucky twins."

Kurogane raised an eyebrow, giving Fai an exasperated look. "Think it through, Mage. Remember what the Witch used to say about this sort of thing? Things happen according to the choices of people and the circumstances that create those choices. This time, your uncle isn't the ruler of a nation, and isn't even influential in the country you'll be born in. Your father may not be well, but the level of medicine and healing magic in this world is likely better than it was in yours. And your mother won't be surrounded by a hostile gossiping court that will push her until she snaps and leaves all the blame on her own children."

Fai didn't look entirely convinced. Kurogane supposed he couldn't blame him, considering this was the root of a great deal of the mage's trauma, and likely would always haunt him just a little. But he hated seeing Fai looking so unhappy, and was thankful that he could at least grant some comfort. The ninja reached out, gently pulling Fai to rest up against him. "Most of all," he continued softly, "They have people to support them. It looks like your mother's family is close-knit, so they'll help. And your father mentioned calling in Ashura, and you already know that bastard cared for you, even if he had damn stupid ways of showing it. Hell, they even have this world's version of the Witch."

Fai slowly nodded in cautious agreement, resting his head on Kurogane's shoulder. "They...have your parents, too," he murmured, and couldn't help but smile just a little, the tone of his voice slightly teasing. "Your father is a real hottie. I find him incredibly attractive for some _inexplicable_ reason."

"Don't start." the ninja growled, but he returned that smile with one of his own, one of the soft ones that Fai treasured every time he saw it. "Your parents couldn't ask for stronger allies. Everything I know of protecting what is precious, I learned from them. They won't allow your parents or you and your brother to come to harm. Not in this world. And in time, I'll be there, too, and I'll protect both of you."

Fai lifted his head and gave the ninja an ironic look. "Making promises for yourself even before birth? Little Kuro-sama might complain that you're too demanding."

"No." Kurogane caught Fai's chin in one hand, tilting it upward until he could stare straight into those complicated blue eyes, impressing how strongly he felt about this. "I just know myself. And I know that no matter the world, if we're both in it at the same time, I will find you. And I will protect you."

Fai's breath caught, his heart pounding. "Kuro-sama..." he breathed, knowing that _protect_ covered many things, but mostly a much smaller word that spanned infinite emotion. "You...almost make that sound like a proposal. If you keep talking like that, I'll be all aflutter and unable to think straight."

"Hmph. Take it however you want." And when the ninja's lips pressed against his, gentle but forceful, the sheer power of it warmed him from the soul outward, blasting away any lingering shadows of sadness, curses, and even missing room keys from his mind. There was just the rumble of a beloved voice in his ears, the moist heat of breath mixing with his own, and the absolute surety that came with a promise.

"I will _always _protect you."


End file.
